Organic agriculture is a vital resource for the people of Thar to move into a sustainable future, said Vice Chancellor of Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, according to a press release received by WealthPK.

Dr Fateh Marri was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of “High-Efficiency Irrigation System Demonstration Field” at the Umerkot sub-campus of Sindh Agriculture University, stated the press release.

He said, “we need to concentrate on producing organic vegetables, fruits, medicinal plants, and cosmetics plants in Tharparkar, since they have a lot of market potential in Pakistan as well as abroad.”

He continued by saying that we have not been able to successfully transform our agriculture sector. He said, “large tracts of land still lay fallow. Deserts, mountains, and arid lands cover 50% of the land of Sindh. We need to bring these areas under cultivation through arid agriculture.”

He said that land in the districts of Thar, Karoonjhar, Kachho, Kohistan, Achro Thar and Naro needs to be fully utilized for this purpose by training our youth in modern techniques of agricultural production.

He said, cattle farming should be restored in different areas, including Naokot and Umerkot and opportunities should be created for silent capital investment of the investors from Karachi.

SAU Sub Campus Umerkot’s Vice Chancellor Dr Jan Muhammad Marri said, “the academic process will start in the new sub-campus within two months with the launch of new degree programmes.”

He informed that the university will give transport facilities to students from nearby areas including Umerkot, Samaro, Kunri, Dhoro Naro, and Bachao Bund.

He urged the Sindh government, civil society, and charitable institutions to step forward and begin the process of immediately rehabilitating Thar’s agriculture using drip irrigation, hydroponics, and contemporary technologies. He reaffirmed that the university administration was prepared to offer services through their specialists in that area.

In order to increase employment opportunities, he also emphasised the importance of promoting tourism in Thar. He added that the Thar desert could be made more accessible by putting in place better infrastructure and making the area green.

The occasion was also graced by the Additional Sessions Judge, Ghulam Mustafa Maitlo; Deputy Commissioner Umerkot, Muhammad Bux Dhamrah; SSP, Usman Aijaz Bajwa; Dean of Crop Production Faculty, Dr Inayatullah Rajpar; Dean, Dr Aijaz Ali Khooharo; Dean, Dr Syed Ghiyasuddin Shah Rashidi; Dean, Dr Manzoor Ali Abro; Registrar, Ghulam Mohiyuddin Qureshi; Dr Bachal Bhutto; Ahmed Khan Mangi; Manzoor Ali Lakhair; Riaz Soomro and Haji Khalid Siraj Soomro.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk